Rally for the Ages ready for the 'Young for Free' for second year
*HERO-ERA free entry supplemented by 'buy one get one free' competitor fuel offer to encourage environmentally responsible driving
*Sustain offer bolsters the 'For Young for Free' oversubscribed concept started in 2023 with social media competition where entrants can win free fuel for their own event series!
*Top three podium winners from 2023 return for more action along with media teams
Crew members as young as 12 are preparing for the second ever HERO-ERA Rally for the Ages based at Bicester Heritage on September 7th. Provided the joint age of the crew is under 70 and they start the rally, their deposit will be refunded making it a free entry to help encourage the young into historic rallying.
The three podium winning crews from 2023 will return for more action this year delivering encouraging signs that their young navigators in each team will compete more regularly in the future. Third place Max van Sanden (15, Porsche 356), Imogen Shepherd (23, BMW 325i) and winning navigator Jack Harvey (16, MGB) will be out to repeat or better their previous results.
The media teams will battle for their own cup again as per last year. Rally for the Ages supporting media outlet, Classic Car Weekly will return to action, this time in the HERO-ERA Arrive Drive Triumph TR4 with Features Editor Chris Hope driving and Richard McCann navigating. They will be battling Elliott and Dave Hughes from Magneto magazine in the Arrive Drive Lancia Delta Integrale.
Ahead of the full entry lies a 100 mile route over the best rally roads in Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire, starting with a test at the event base of Bicester Heritage. There will be four tests and regularities to ease those new and inexperienced into the sport as well as any advice and help for newbies or those wanting a 'brush up' before the off.
In addition, following the successful collaboration with Coryton Fuels on the 2023 Rally for the Ages, where a record-breaking number of young enthusiasts entered the rally under the 'For the Young for Free' banner, HERO-ERA will be teaming up with the SUSTAIN brand again. This time with a special 'Buy a litre, get a litre Free' SUSTAIN Fuels offer to competitors in 2024.
In addition, Sustain are running a social media competition surrounding the event with a brilliant prize for the winners. In their words; 'We want to see you in action! Share a photo of you and your team at the Rally of the Ages on your social channels using the hashtag #SUSTAINRally, and you'll be automatically entered to win a free fuel supply for your 2025 race or rally series! It’s as simple as that and don't forget to follow @sustainfuels and @heroerarally for all the latest updates.’
That is a brilliant offer which HERO-ERA totally endorse as their Environmentally Responsible Driving programme utilising carbon credits, also recommends using bio derived fuel as an important way to make a valuable contribution to the fight against pollution via historic motoring. The Environmentally Responsible Driving campaign is championed by sustainability specialist NET-HERO who teamed up with Coryton Fuels in 2023.
Then, the accessible rally attracted 47 new crews to the sport with 40% under 30 and 18 crews aged 15. They all used SUSTAIN Classic Biofuel which powered their 70 cars to finish line, in the process they became advocates for sustainable fuel and it is hoped more will follow in 2024.
Already on the entry list are four 15 year old navigators with the youngest at 12, Eduard Haniel navigating in a 1928 Ford Model A. Tilly Windsor (15) will be navigating in a 1964 Austin Healey whilst Victoria Mills, also 15, will be looking to gain experience navigating a 1965 Mini Cooper S following a good finish last year in a Volvo.
The cost
Sustain fuel will be available on the Bicester Heritage site for Rally for the Ages competitors on September 7th at £5.95 per litre – the cost is high, and will be expensive until the fuel becomes more widely used, but what price the future of our environment?
Special offer
Fuel supply is SUSTAIN Super 80 and will be dispensed from the Motor Spirit pump on Bicester Heritage at their premises. This will be controlled and managed by Motor Spirit on site.
If entrants refuel at the pump, they will get a free amount ‘matched’ to whatever they fill up, to a maximum of 25 litres. So, if they fill up 5 litres paid, they get 5 litres free, or purchase 20 litres then 20 more will be free. This generous offer extends up to 25 litres, which will be matched for free.
About Coryton Fuels and the Sustain brand
SUSTAIN Fuels is safe for use in any car that runs on standard pump fuel and can even be mixed with traditional petrol already in the tank. Unlike many biofuels, they remove elements such as ethanol—which can lead to corrosion and material deterioration—during production. The fuel is then restructured at a molecular level, resulting in a product that looks identical to traditional fossil petrol but is derived from biological sources.
Their primary component is biopetrol, made from second-generation feedstocks (bio waste from farming and agriculture) that are converted into bioethanol and then transformed into sustainable fuel. This ensures that whilst enjoying the thrill of the rally, teams will also be contributing to a more sustainable future.
